Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Many parents ask “Are you a cry-it-out
proponent or family bed advocate? Do I have to stop breastfeeding to sleep
coach my child, do I have to choose between two camps: co sleeping/no crying or
crib/cry-it-out?”

You do not have to pick a camp; this isn’t about right or
wrong. It’s about what is working for you and your family.

It is true that the CIO method and the starker extinction
methods can work well and a bit faster than gentler methods IF you as
the parent can follow through consistently and for long enough.

The GSC approach is a gentler alternative for families who
emotionally or philosophically resist letting their babies cry it out: for
families who tried “Ferber” (controlled crying) and it didn’t work, and for
families who let their baby cry-it-out earlier but now find it doesn’t help. It
is also for families who believe in co-sleeping but find that their children
aren’t really sleeping all that well, even nestled snugly with their parents.
Or for families who did co-sleep for a few months to a few years and now want
the family bed to revert back to the marital one.

Can you guarantee “no crying” you might ask? No, no one
really can. For example, if you as the parent have taught your child that the
way to fall asleep is to be held to sleep for all naps, bedtime and wakings and
you decide that you want to change this; your child will naturally protest or
resist this change. After all, they don’t know why you have changed your
approach. If your child is pre-verbal then they will cry. My goal is to have as
little crying as possible. I encourage parents to be loving and responsive but
to allow the child the room to learn this vital life skill of putting
themselves to sleep. The parent responds
and stays with their child and offers physical and verbal reassurance without
putting the child to sleep. This supports the development of a secure
attachment between parent and child.

I will work with you to create an individualized,
step-by-step sleep plan that will factor in your parenting philosophy, your
child’s age, health and temperament, mother’s well-being and the related family
dynamics. And most importantly I will support and coach you through the
process from beginning to end- for night sleep and naps!

If you have any questions about the Gentle Sleep philosophy,
please don’t hesitate to ask. I can be reached by email at
lovinglessons@yahoo.com or by telephone at 919-414-2978.

-Breastfeeding is best and it is never necessary to
end breastfeeding in order to successfully sleep coach your child

-You can continue to room share while sleep coaching.

-I work with parents of children ages 6 months to 6 years
old. Babies under 6months I will consult with parents on how to set up healthy
sleep habits from the start and if appropriate how to gently shape their sleep.

The art of putting yourself to sleep is a priceless gift you
can give to your child and your entire family.

I’ve had many inquiries about the Plum District Vouchers. The $80 can be applied to your choice of
personal or group coaching services from Loving Lessons Pediatric Sleep Consulting. A secure
payment via PayPal can be made for the remaining balance.

Because I believe sleep is so important for your family, I’ve
created options to meet all budgets to make sure sleep is in place to help
bring peace in parenting and academic success for children 6 and younger.

Personal
Coaching services are for families that would like one-on-one
services that are done in your home or via Skype for those outside the Raleigh
area.Personal consultations include a
review of your sleep history and a personalized sleep plan.The most popular package is the Sleep
Consultation and 8 Follow Ups for $250.

Gentle
Sleep Success Webinar Group Coaching is an option to be a part of a small
group of 8 families in the comfort of your home on a 2 part webinar call that
will be recorded.The group coaching
sessions will include a review of your sleep history, and a personalized sleep
plan.The Gentle Sleep Success Workshop
includes 2 phone follow ups for $125.

Sleep Smarts, Sleep
Success Webinars are ideal for a do it yourself family that needs to learn
about the “How To’s” to gentle sleep coaching methods and creating a sleep
plan.The Sleep Smarts, Sleep Success
webinars are available for $40.This
seminar will cover specific age groups and sleep related concerns.However families that wish to have their
sleep plan reviewed along with a follow up call may add on Webinar Client
support which will include a sleep plan review and a follow up phone call for
$40.

Doing the consultation using the Plum District voucher as is gives you the 1.5 hour Sleep Smarts, Sleep Success webinar session for $40, and then also offers the webinar group coaching clients a personal sleep review of the plan you create along with a follow up for the remaining $40. This totals the $80. In the group coaching session you learn the ins and outs of creating a sleep plan, and then I will review it and give you feedback, and then we would do a 15 min follow up to and answer your specific sleep questions.

If after this point you would feel you would need additional support in following through with the plan, asking questions and understanding it better, you would be able to purchase just a follow up package. Of course for the follow up package you could use a second voucher and pay the difference.

Where to I go to attend the webinar?You can be a part of the webinar from the comfort of your home. If you are not able to make it to the scheduled webinar date or time, no worries, I will send you a link of the recorded session. July and Ealry August are currently posted.

I’m a
current or past client can I use the voucher?

Yes current or past clients are
welcome to purchase vouchers and I will apply it to the client discount
rates. Learn more by visiting the Loving
Lessons Parenting Community Resources at www.irenegouge.info-
Client Resource tab.

How
do the personal coaching sessions work?

Personal Family Consultations are available
in your home if you are located in the Raleigh Area. If you are outside the local Raleigh area,
then we can do a Skype or Teleconference in the comfort of your home. Personal
1.5-2 hour consultations are scheduled in the evenings and weekends upon a
first come first serve basis.

My baby is 6 months
or younger, can I still use a voucher to sleep train?

I do not recommend families to sleep train their baby
when they are younger than 6 months of age.
At this stage, I am happy to support families in “sleep shaping” your
baby which is creating the foundation of good sleep by creating healthy habits
right from the start. Sleep shaping
involves following your babies cues, creating gentle routines, learning,
observing, and understanding your baby.

If you have further questions, please call me directly at
919-414-2978 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting919-414-2978end_of_the_skype_highlighting and I am happy to answer your questions and concerns.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

“My child wants
to be with me all of the time and I just need a break.”

These are
statements I hear from parents who love their child more than anything, but are
frustrated and are at their wits end right now when it comes to parenting. Are they wrong for feeling this? Most definitely not! We are all entitled to have feelings and
express our emotions. When we suppress
these feelings and emotions, it can cause us to have a negative attitude toward
our child or disconnect from our child.
That is what you don’t want to do.

The most
supportive and loving parents reach out for support and look to add to their
parenting toolbox to help them through this journey of parenting.

In each seminar, you’ll learn how to
use techniques to instill positive, healthy behaviors that will continue to
build the relationship of trust and security.
The Loving Connections, Secure Attachments will help parents learn and
answer your questions about:

The number one
secret to good sleep and easy parenting

Build trust and
security- no programs or extra stuff

How to become
intentional and have quality interactions with your child every day

How to start
ongoing conversations with your child

What can I do or
say so my child will always talk to me and come to me when they have a
problem?

How to build in “quality
time ins” without adding to your day

Strategies and tips
you can implement immediately

How to defuse potentially difficult situations such as
tantrums and power struggles throughout your day

Parents
will learn about expected behaviors by age and a wide range of ways to solve
common issues. Fewer battles, better listening, restful sleep, more peace! Discover the secret ingredient for a lifelong
connection with your child to enjoy the parenting journey!

Learn
how to build these Loving Connections, Secure Attachments from the comfort of
your home. Can’t make it to the
scheduled time of the seminar? No
problem- once you are registered for the designated seminar you will receive a
recording and access to all the materials shared in the session.

About Me

Loving Lessons Pediatric Sleep Consulting works with families who have children 6 months-6 years old who are not consistently sleeping through the night. LLPSC will teach parents how to gently teach their child how to fall asleep at bedtime and go back to sleep independently during the night. Expecting parents and parents of newborns to 5 months of age can learn how to understand and communicate with their baby and “sleep shape” their baby so you may not have to ever sleep train your child.
Sleep consultations and seminars are provided and the child’s age and temperament, as well as the family’s needs are taken into account before a plan is recommended that will work for them. The family is allowed to choose the method that they feel most comfortable with so it does not have to include leaving their child alone to cry it out!
Each consultation or seminar includes a review of the sleep history form and a customized, step-by-step plan and schedule that is loving and supportive of your family’s sleep goals!